INTERVIEW
NOAA Administrator 2001-2008 Conrad C. Lautenbacher
is the chief executive officer of GeoOptics. He served as Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere and as the eighth administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 2001 to 2008. He rose to the rank of vice admiral in the U.S. Navy, where he was commander of the U.S. third fleet. Lautenbacher also served as Deputy Chief of Naval Operations in charge of programs and budget. He is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy and holds M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in applied mathematics from Harvard University. Why does America need NOAA? What does NOAA contribute to the nation? Vice Adm. Conrad C. Lautenbacher: NOAA has been and remains an essential part of the success our nation has experienced since its foundation. For a very small annual investment, NOAA provides the critical information needed to understand the enormous effects the Earth’s atmosphere and ocean to-
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gether contribute to our existence. There is good reason Earth is known as the “Blue Planet”; 70 percent is covered by the ocean, and 100 percent is covered by the atmosphere. Weather information depends on both ocean and atmosphere, and directly affects our ability to prosper. 30 percent to 50 percent of our economy, depending on the author of the calculation, depends directly on weather forecast information,
Vice Adm. Conrad C. Lautenbacher during his tenure as NOAA administrator, 2001-2008.
and without that base, the other 50 percent to 70 percent could not exist. NOAA provides the foundation of the value chain from basic science understanding to successful applications by society in underpinning economic success. The ocean plays a vital role in shaping the weather, providing basic food sources, and worldwide delivery of goods and services! Ocean and atmosphere are wedded and we humans are the beneficiaries of that fortuitous NOAA marriage. Was there anything about the organization that surprised you after you began your work there? I would have to say after 40 years of U.S. Navy service, nothing really surprised me! The best description of my reaction was extreme pleasure
First Doppler weather radars installed at Weather Service forecast offices around the country, and first Automated Surface Observing Systems.
NOAA PHOTO
Vice Adm. Conrad C. Lautenbacher
